"Trust In The Lord And Do Good"
This is the first line of Psalm 37:3. There is great value and promised blessings
if we will trust in the Lord. The Bible repeats in so many ways that God looks
out for His faithful ones and takes care of them. The entire chapter of Psalm
37 contrasts the wicked against the righteous. In this Psalm, God declares His
favor upon those who try to be righteous and faithful toward Him, and how He
is against those who do evil. Just reading through the Psalm will remind the
bible student of so many other passages in the Scriptures.
Though the wicked appears to prosper in his evil, God is still taking notice
of his ways, and is mindful of the judgment to come. We also must be mindful
of the end when we die and face our judgment. If we have been faithful, we have
no reason to fear death, for it will be a new and wonderful chapter in our existence.
The faithful will be brought into the eternal abode of the Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit to enjoy their salvation forever. Contrast that with the wicked
who will be cast into the eternal darkness where there is loneliness, sorrow,
pain, suffering, no hope, and totally void of God.
Verse 3 also tells us to "dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness".
The key phrase here is to cultivate a life of faithfulness. This means we are
to work on our faithfulness to make it grow and eventually prosper. We must
use the tools which include prayer and Bible study along with the support of
our fellow Christians in the local church.
Verse 4 encourages us to "Delight yourself in the Lord". When we are
serving God, our hearts are happy and full of joy just knowing that what we
are doing is pleasing in His sight. He will be happy and approve of us as we
enjoy our salvation and hope of heaven. Such happiness should show in our countenance,
and others should see how peaceful and calm we are despite all the problems
in the world. Perhaps they will ask us about the hope within us. This should
remind you of 1 Peter 3:15.
Also in verse 4 we read: "And He will give you the desires of your heart".
Now that does not mean He will give us everything we want. No, He provides us
with what we need. If we truly have our affections focused upon the things above;
our desire is first of all to go to heaven, but also a desire to fulfill our
Christian duty of sharing the will of God and express His desire that all be
saved.
Verse 5 tells us to: "Commit your way to the LORD," This reminds us
that if we will trust in God and allow Him to guide our pathway, we will be
pleasing to Him. Proverbs 3:6 reads: "In all your ways, acknowledge Him,
and He will make your paths straight". This means that when we follow God's
directions and stay on the straight and narrow, that God will lead us to safety
and toward our eternal home. All we have to do is to purpose in our hearts to
follow His guidance and instructions. When we do what He wants, He will bless
us with many spiritual blessings, and we will learn to appreciate the physical
blessings He allows us to use. Verse 5 ends with the phrase: "Trust also
in Him, and He will do it". When we put our trust in God to take care of
us, to provide for us, to see to our needs, and maybe a few of our wants, we
will in turn glorify God and praise His name. Our trust is that God will take
care of us. In return He is looking to see if we will obey and honor Him.
Take time to read Psalm 37 to see the contrast of the righteous and the wicked.
Notice that the wicked really do not stand a chance, and the righteous will
be blessed by God.
By Carey Scott
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